That evening, Darcy fidgeted all the way through dinner. The doctor had come earlier and examined Elizabeth saying she was in no major danger, for she merely had a cold and slight fever and she would be able to recover fully in the next few days. She was now resting, which was what she needed most.

But Darcy was frantic to check on her. He had not seen her since he had taken her into her room, and he wanted to assure himself that she was comfortable and getting better.

"Darcy? Are you alright?" Bingley asked, looking at him curiously. Darcy realized he had been staring at the door for quite some time now, his thoughts over taking him. He looked over at Bingley and smiled a little.

"Yes, I am quite alright. But if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to." He stood up and walked out the room.

As he was walking up the long stairway, his mind began to wander again. What if Elizabeth didn't want to see him? She hadn't said anything after he had confessed his love for her, so maybe she doesn't feel the same way. What if she never wants to see him again?

But no, that doesn't make sense .What had she been talking about when she said he had been confusing her? She had almost made it sound like she did love him. And she did enjoy last night.

The butterflies in his stomach started to zoom. This woman, this beautiful woman who had captivated him so thoroughly, could possibly love him back. And that woman was sick in bed.

Darcy rushed down the hall and stopped at her door. He took a deep breath and gently opened the door and peeked inside. There was no one else but the sleeping form of Elizabeth lying on the bed. He quietly walked in, and closed the door behind him. As he approached the bed, he could see how peaceful and beautiful her face was when she was asleep. But she looked more pale than normal, and her breathing wasn't very even. This worried him more. He knelt next to her side, careful to not bump the bed and wake her.

"My dearest Elizabeth, why did I not bring you inside when I first found you? I could have prevented all of this." He said in a soft concerned voice. He slowly let his fingers stroke her delicate hand in front of him. He noticed it was unusually warm, probably from the fever, and this pained him even more. She coughed a little and groaned in her sleep. A tear slid down his cheek. He wanted to hold her, to hold her and make everything go away.

"Darcy . . ."

Darcy's head jerked up. She was still asleep, but her head started to shake.

"No. No please, come back." Her other hand started to wave in the air, as if she were reaching out to grab something.. She started to whimper a little. Tears started falling from her closed eyes. Her face looked distraught, and scared. He grabbed her other hand and tenderly held it, tears falling down his own cheeks, trying to comfort her in some way. She was having a dream about him.

"Don't leave me. Please. No."

Tears were still falling down her cheeks. But she started to calm down, and soon fell back into a peaceful slumber.

I wonder what she was dreaming about? And why was I in it? He thought about it for a minute, but then pushed it aside.

He watched her lovingly, wanting to wipe away her tears and tell her he was right here, but knew it would awaken her. So he contented to holding her hand, and watching her lovely face.

The clock in her room chimed one o'clock in the morning, and startled Elizabeth, waking her. But what startled her more was a head laying next to her hand, which was being held by a large, warm one. She could tell without a doubt that it was Mr. Darcy, and that he had fallen asleep next to her. Not wanting to startle him, she lay still, just looking at him. This was the man that had confessed his ardent love for her, and had kissed her passionately, and held her tenderly. She then remembered herself and him in the stable that day, and how her emotions had once again gotten the better of her. She had almost expressed her feelings for him, not knowing that he felt the same way. But now that he did, what was she to do now? Did she tell him that she loved him? Or was it just that simple? Maybe his emotions had gotten the better of him as well, and he had just acted on impulse in the stable.

Elizabeth sighed. He really does love me. Why else would he have said those things? Why else would he have kissed her so hard? He really loves me, and I . . . I love him.

There. She had finally admitted it. She loved him. Even if he didn't like her family. Even if he did say those things about her. Even if he was a little proud sometimes. She loved him, and nothing was going to stop that anymore.

Suddenly, Darcy jumped and his head flew up, looking half asleep. And he saw that Elizabeth was awake.

"Miss Elizabeth, I'm so terribly sorry, I must have fallen asleep when I came in to check on you! I'm so sorry, I'll leave now." He quickly stood up and started walking to the door when he heard her speak.

"Please come back . . . William." She said softly, not being able to speak very loud. She held her hand up a little, motioning him to come back to her. Though slightly shocked that she had used his Christian name, he did not hesitate, and was immediately at her side, gently cradling her hand in his.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked quietly, full of concern. She nodded and smiled a little.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better now, thank you." She coughed a little and snuggled back into her pillow.

"May I ask what you were doing next to my bed?"

Darcy hesitated and then spoke. "I came up her after to dinner to check on you, I must have just fallen asleep." He looked down at their hands, feeling embarrassed. Her hand slipped from his but then he felt a hand run through his hair. It then lifted his face up.

"Thank you for your concern." She said, with such sincerity, his chest swelled. A small smile then graced her face, making her look even lovelier. He smiled back and took her hand back into his. He then remembered the events of the day, and looked down once more.

"Elizabeth, I . . ." he started, but then felt a finger on his lips. He looked at her questioningly.

"I love you too, Mr. Darcy," Her voice becoming fainter. His eyes widened a bit.

"You do?" He said, inching closer to her. She looked into his bright blue eyes, smiling a little.

"I do." She said, even softer than before. He moved closer to her face, but then felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Darcy, you won't be any good to me at all if you catch this cold as well." She said with a little gleam in her eye. He chuckled, and nodded in agreement. But leaned over and kissed her cheek for a long moment. He then squeezed her hand and kissed it as well.

"And you won't be any good to me if you don't recover. So I must leave you and you must rest." He said with firmness in his voice.

"You are right." She said with a sigh. She leaned back while he pulled the covers up closer to her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and whispered in her ear.

"I love you Elizabeth Bennett." And with that, he walked out that door.

(a/n: ok, so this one was a bit shorter, but tell me what you think. And do not worry, there is more. Things aren't going to be just as easy as this for them. So tell me what you think so far. And thank you to everyone for reading! I have loved your feedback!)